Engaging Scripture Book Club
If you want to follow along, I am reviewing Dr. Beverly Gaventa’s new Romans commentary (New Testament Library, Westminster John Knox).
If you want to learn about the book and the club details, click HERE.
Reminder: I will give general thoughts and summary of the week’s reading for free; I will also add my own critical thoughts and reflections for paid subscribers. So, feel free to follow along and hopefully you’ll enjoy the book club. There is no formal sign up, just check your email inbox for each week’s review, and if you haven’t subscribed yet to Engaging Scripture, you can do so now.
Romans 14-15 (NRSV)
Do Not Judge Another
Rom. 14:1 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
Rom. 14:5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.
Rom. 14:7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Rom. 14:10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.
Do Not Make Another Stumble
Rom. 14:13 Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. 19 Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; 21 it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. 22 The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve. 23 But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Please Others, Not Yourselves
Rom. 15:1 We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. 3 For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Gaventa on Romans 14-15
There are roughly two schools of thought when it comes to Romans 14-15 and the issues between the so-called Strong and Weak Christians in Rome. One group of scholars believes this was a pressing issue, perhaps even one of the main reasons Paul felt the need to write this letter, to bring healing and unity where there is division and judgment. Another school of thought is that Paul was not actually addressing a real issue that he knew about, but giving general wisdom about unity amidst difference and preference. Gaventa falls in the first group, but she is cautious not to read too much into the situation. She recognizes that Paul spends a lot of time in this section, and gives the kind of detail that makes it appear this was, in fact, a local problem (pg 381).
She notes that food is an issue, but Paul does not bring up ethnicity explicitly, so there is no reason to assume that this fell along Jew and gentile lines of difference. Gaventa accepts the scholarly consensus that Paul aligns with the so-called “Strong,” but because he waits until 15:1 to tip his hand at where his preferences lie, Gaventa thinks that he didn’t want Strong and Weak to correspond to “Right” and “Wrong.”
Gaventa is right to urge that Paul promotes unity, but not at the cost of “suppressing difference” (403). Being right about food practices is not as important as humbly cultivating the strength and growth of the other person. The model is Christ, who went to the furthest extent to show love and compassion, even for sinners who treated God as an enemy.
I don’t have much by way of critical pushback here, I think Gaventa did a great job—those of you who have her commentary will be blessed by her insightful English translation of these chapters. She offers some fresh language to represent the Greek text well and bring out some Pauline distinctives.
Next week we wrap up our in-depth review with Romans 16!
Get wise to Romans 13 with my book reading and commentary.
https://soberchristiangentlemanpodcast.substack.com/p/doctrine-of-the-lesser-magistrates